This invention relates generally to utility knives, and more particularly to a dual-purpose carpet knife which is capable of creasing and cutting carpet.
Utility knives for cutting articles, such as carpet, drywall and many other articles, are well-known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,120,960 to Arthur, U.S. Pat. No. 2,376,887 to Walters, U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,029 to Wenzel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,518 to West, U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,940 to Wenzel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,821 to Kieferle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,320 to Pelletier, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,028 to Seltzer, Jr. are representative of the available prior art. Several of these patents disclose dual-purpose utility knives. For example, the patent to Kieferle discloses a knife having a cutting blade at one end thereof and a screen forming wheel at its other end. Similarly, the patent to Pelletier discloses a knife having a cutting blade at one end and a toothed cutting wheel at its other end.
However, none of these patents disclose a utility knife which is especially designed for creasing carpet at the juncture of the floor and the wall, and for cutting carpet at said juncture. Presently, a carpet installer requires two separate tools in order to crease and cut carpet. One tool has a handle portion and an end portion shaped to have a straight edge whereby the installer creases the carpet with the straight edge of the tool. After creasing the carpet, the installer cuts it with a separate tool, i.e., a utility knife. There is presently a need for a dual purpose carpet knife in which the carpet installer can both crease the carpet and cut it.
Accordingly, among the several objects of the present invention are the provision of an improved carpet knife which is capable of serving the dual purpose of creasing carpet and cutting it thereby eliminating the need of having two separate tools to perform these functions; the provision of such a carpet knife which has relatively few component parts; the provision of such a carpet knife which is easy to assemble; and the provision of such a carpet knife which is durable in use and cost-efficient to manufacture.
In general, the present invention is directed to a carpet knife constructed and arranged for creasing carpet at the juncture of the floor and the wall, and for cutting carpet along the crease. The carpet knife comprises a split body having first and second mating body sections which when in assembled relation include a forward end portion having means for receiving and securing thereto a blade to cut carpet, a handle portion which is adapted to be grasped in the user's hand, and a rearward end portion which is tapered to a pointed end. The rearward end portion is adapted to crease the carpet at the juncture of the floor and the wall.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second body sections each have inwardly facing surfaces which are adjacent each other when the sections are in assembled relation. One of the first and second body sections has an outwardly extending, elongated rib formed on its surface which is received in a corresponding recess formed in the other of the first and second body sections for preventing relative movement of the body sections when the sections are assembled. Moreover, the blade receiving and securing means comprises another outwardly extending, elongated rib formed on the inwardly facing surface of one of the first and second body sections at the forward end portion. The rib is received in a corresponding recess formed in the other of the first and second body sections. The rib is adapted to extend through an opening formed in a blade for securing the blade to the carpet knife when the mating sections are assembled.